Vertigo and Migraine

by Dr. Alexander Mauskop

Vertigo is a common symptom in patients with migraine headaches.

It appears that obverse is also true – migraine is very common in patients with vertigo.

A study just published in Cephalalgia looked at 208 patients with benign recurrent vertigo. It turned out that 87%, or 180 of these patients had migraine headaches.

Of these 180 patients, 112 or 62% had migraine with aura and 38% had migraine without aura.

Thirty percent, or 54 patients always had vertigo without any migraine symptoms, while in 70% vertigo occurred with a headache or other migraine symptoms, such as visual aura, sensitivity to light and noise.

The duration of attacks of vertigo in most patients was between one hour and one day.

Alexander Mauskop MD, FAAN, Associate Professor of Neurology at SUNY – Downstate Medical Center, is the Director and founder of the New York Headache Center. Dr. Mauskop is board-certified in Neurology with subspecialty certification in Headache Medicine. He has delivered over 400 scientific presentations and lectures and is a reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine, Neurology, Headache, and several other medical journals. For the past 21 years, has been the Director of an annual educational symposium for physicians. Over 200 doctors from around the world have visited the New York Headache Center to learn advanced treatment techniques.

Dr. Mauskop is the author of Migraine and Headache (Oxford American Pain Library) and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Migraines: The Breakthrough Program That Can Help End Your Pain.

He has repeatedly been chosen as one of New York magazine’s Best Doctors in New York, as one of New York Times Magazine’s, “Super Doctors” and as Castle and Connolly’s “Best Doctors”. Dr. Mauskop has appeared on television shows including Tom Brokaw’s News Hour, Extra, and PBS specials, and he has been featured in Vogue, O Magazine, and many other publications. He has given lectures at the medical schools of Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, NYU and Dartmouth, and at the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic.